A&S v4.0: Brittany Ann Bilderback

Brittany Ann Bilderback is one of six students from the College of Arts and Sciences to graduate this spring with a straight-A average. An international affairs major, she took time from the final days of her University of Colorado experience to answer five questions. Here’s what she had to say:



1. Does academic success come easily to you?

Academic success doesn't come easy to me, but I have learned what it takes to succeed in the classroom. I think there are two levels to every class—what you can actually take away and apply to your life and what you need to know for the test. I'm lucky enough that I can learn on both levels.

2. What was your most rewarding experience at CU?

My most rewarding experience at CU was, ironically, not at CU, but studying abroad. I spent a semester in Argentina, and it was easily the most fun I had in college. Taking all my classes in another language and being immersed in such a rich culture gave my Spanish major such a different meaning.

3. If you had children about to go to college, what advice would you give them?

I would tell them to get involved in an activity early on. I started taking salsa lessons the first week of college, even though I was never a dancer in high school. I met a group of amazing friends that helped me branch out and become more involved on campus. Even if you don't end up sticking with that activity all through college, you make contacts that will let you meet more and more people and find your niche at CU.

4. How will you translate your academic success into success in other areas of life?

Academic success to me is nothing more than passion and dedication. I can't really think of any area of my life that won't benefit from these two things. I don't want success in college to be the highlight of my life, so I hope that the lessons I learned in the classroom help me go out and do big things in the world!

5. What do you plan to do after graduating?

I plan on taking my dog Gus for hikes every weekend and working as a legal interpreter in Broomfield until I have enough money to head back to South America—hopefully in time for Carnival in Brasil in 2011! Past that, I eventually hope to go to NYU to study international law and write a book about my experiences as an American female in South America.

We asked these five questions of all our straight-A students, and the articles on each are linked below. The ace students comprise:

Brittany Ann Bilderback, International Affairs
Christine Elizabeth Hickman, French
Stacy Danielle Killebrew, Psychology
Tyler Drake Menge,  MCDB
David White Silver, Economics
Lindsay Michelle Talbot, Humanities

May 3, 2010